New Home, New Rules
by WaterLilith
Summary: Lela's mother controls every part of her life. Her parents forced her into being a Rhyhorn racer so she decided that her child would have nothing to do with Pokemon. When she moved her daughter to Kalos, she didn't anticipate the laws in the new region giving her daughter the chance to become a trainer without her consent at fifteen. Now Lela gets to make her own decisions for once
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Diane and I earned our Fog badges yesterday."

The girl on the screen smiled brightly at Lela as her newly evolved Feraligatr growled with pride behind her. She leaned back, her shoulder length brown hair scrunching up against her partner's scales as she stared at her longtime childhood friend. The blond watched with sad blue eyes at the girl on the screen of her laptop. "You should see Diane and Meganium. They've been strutting around endlessly ever since their match."

"Well they deserve it for how well they've been doing. You deserve it too from what I hear. Last time I talked to her she said you've never lost any of your battles."

"I'm just well synced with my team. I'm not even the one taking on Team Rocket. Diane ran into them before and ended the plans they had going on a little early."

"Still, you're doing great Kathleen. I wish I could be there with you guys."

"I do too. I would feel much better if you were the one with the fire starter instead of that red haired punk that stole him from the professor's lab."

"D seems pretty fond of him. What was his name, Silver?"

"Yeah, I met him on the way back from getting that egg from the professor's friend. He straight up told me that if a Pokemon can't win a battle then they're useless. But for whatever reason D finds him attractive."

"She's always been strange."

At that moment a Fletchling, Lela had no idea how it kept getting into the house since the windows were always shut tight and he refuses to tell her, decided to nestle itself on top of her head, keeping itself warm in the thick mane of hair that was free from its loose ponytail at the moment. At the sight of the small, red and blue bird sitting on her friends head, Kathleen gave Lela a stunned look as she was trying to process what she was seeing in front of her.

"Your mom is letting you keep a Pokemon?"

"No. He's not mine. He just likes hanging around the house, says he likes my room, and he keeps getting in somehow." She reached her hand up and started stroking the little bird's head with one finger. "I'm still not allowed to become a trainer, I'm still not allowed to cut my hair, I'm still not allowed to wear anything but a dress."

" _I think it's dumb that your mother won't let you be a trainer. I'm not saying I would be on your team, I don't want to be a battling Pokemon, but you seem like you would be kind to any pokemon that followed you."_

"Yeah. Most people start their journeys when they're like, ten. I waited until I was fourteen because that's when Diane's parents said she could start, but a parent shouldn't keep their child from going completely." Feraligatr growled his affirmative as his trainer spoke, giving the blond a look as she smiled at the both of them. You know, I could send you a Pokemon from here. I know it won't be the same as getting one of the starters, but it'll be better than nothing."

"I don't want you to get in trouble if my mom finds out that you sent it to me."

Kat gave her a sad smile at her response, since she knew Lelas nature it didn't surprise her when she put her before her own interests. "Well, she doesn't need her mother's permission tomorrow."

A black haired girl, their friend Diane, approached the video chatting girls with her Meganium faithfully by her side as Kat turned around to look at her and Lela tilted her head curiously, jostling Fletchling who grumbled in discontent.

"Sup, D?"

"When I heard that you were moving to Kalos I started doing some research. You know how each region has its own laws for how they handle things?"

"Yeah. So?

"Well, after I found what I was looking for I asked my parents to make some calls and you're going to be in for a big surprise soon."

" _By the way, , I want to wish you a very happy fifteenth birthday since we won't be able to speak with you tomorrow."_ Meganiums lovely voice rang out over the speaker in close succession with her trainers, excitement clear in her voice.

She was closely followed by Feraligatrs gravely growl. " _Kathleen would be upset with me if I didn't do the same, so happy birthday.."_

The difference between the grass and water types that followed her friends around showed dramatically once again. The grass type with Diane was considerate to everyone she knew, always happy to interact with anyone she met. The alligator on the other hand was only happy if the person in front of him was kind to his trainer. The water type had told her on several occasions before that he didn't have any problem with her since Kathleen was so attached to her, he just didn't care about anyone besides his trainer.

Diane was smiling brightly at her as the brunette gave her a curious look, obviously out of the loop on whatever the black haired girl was going on about as she reached up to stroke the petals around her starters neck.

"Lela! It's time for bed, you need your beauty sleep!"

"Your mom seriously still enforces curfew? She needs to grow up and realize that just because her parents didn't give her any choices doesn't mean she has to do the same thing with you." Her friends looked downright annoyed as she gave them an apologetic look. She slowly started to log off, saying goodbye to her friends, as Fletchling hid under her bed as the sound of her mother coming upstairs met her ears.

'I wonder what this surprise Diane seemed so proud of is.'

Her mother made sure that she was in her pajamas and in bed before she left the room. Lela was vaguely aware of Fletchling nestling into her hair as she fell asleep, with a strangely good feeling about what tomorrow would bring.

The blond woke up to the sound of a pecking sound on her window. The sound was persistently tapping her window. She knew it wasn't Fletchling since that little guy had his ways of getting in and out of the house without anyone knowing, so that left her guessing until she lifted herself up, still groggy with sleep, and she turned to see what was going on.

She was instantly awake when she saw the Staraptor next to the window, tapping it with its beak, a letter secured to its leg.

Sitting up quickly, she opened the window wide so the flying Pokemon could rest on the sill. He didn't speak to her at all while he stood there, he just stood there as she quickly untied the letter from his leg and gave his black feathers a ruffle. Then he wordlessly took flight, soaring away from the girl he had just woken up.

Looking down at the letter in her hands so broke the seal on the envelope, pulling out the single page that was folded neatly inside of it. Her brows furrowed in her confusion as she read it, but she followed the instructions on the paper regardless.

' _ **Get dressed. Pack some extra clothes and grab some money from your mother's purse. Then come meet us at the path to Aquacorde town. All will be explained.'**_

She dressed herself in her red and black dress with her black knee high socks and black boots, the extra clothes she packed were basically the same things in different colors, attached her holo caster to the bag, and raided her mother's purse for three hundred Poke. With that set she let Fletchling out the front door, he muttered a thanks to her as he passed and took off, before silently closing the door behind her. Her mother's Rhyhorn, the only Pokemon she was officially allowed contact with, was on its blanket on the side of the lawn. It gave her a sideways glance, obviously aware that she was going to do something her mother didn't know about, but he didn't make a sound to alert his rider. He had always been chill with Lela, much more understanding with her than her mother ever tried to be.

Peeking her head past the front gate she looked to her left just in time to see her mother walk through the entrance to one of their neighbors lawns. They were laughing, even though the neighbors laugh seems a little fake. A young girl with gravity defying, brown pigtails in a pink shirt with black bows, jean shorts with black frills, and pink shoes with tiny heels waved bye to her mother as she backed away with an impish grin.

The girl turned around when the sound of a door closing rang out, giving Lela a clear view of her tanned face and bright green eyes. Lela was immediately caught in the girl's gaze and her eyes became even brighter as she ran up to the blond, throwing her arms around her and filling her vision with brown hair.

"Hi! Happy birthday!"

...How did this girl know it was her birthday.

"I'm Shauna! Great to meet you!"

Her head was almost spinning already "I'm Lela."

"I know! You're the girl the others and I are helping!" Grabbing Lelas hand, Shauna started pulling her away from her house at an unnecessarily quick pace. "C'mon! We're meeting Calem near route 1. Then we'll meet Trevor and Tierno in Aquacorde town. You'll never guess what's going to happen!"

"Ok, what's going to happen?"

"It's a surprise!"

The two girls were practically running/being dragged by the time they reached the gate to the path. Shauna didn't even stop when they passed the boy leaning against the stone wall nearby, even though he was probably the Calem Shauna had mentioned. The boy, he wore a blue and white turtle neck jacket, blue jeans, black boots, he had black hair and grey eyes, just stood there with wide eyes, turning his head as they went by him. After a moment Lela heard him call, "Wait up! Shauna!"

Shauna wasn't phased at all by that, Lela doubted that she even heard it, and she just plowed right along as her hostage struggled to keep up. "It's right up here, Lil'L! As soon as we go through the gate we turn to the left and we're at the meeting spot!"

... Lil'L?

The brunette girl continued to pull the blonde until she pushed her down into a chair at a table built for six people. On the other side of the table sat two boys. The shorter boy had a strange haircut with a bright orange color. He wore a green and white t shirt and black pants and he looked a bit shy as he gazed up at the girl in front of him. The other boy was a bit hefty. His attire consisted of a strange black hat, a black t-shirt with a pokemon on the front- and a pair of orange knee length shorts. His expression was more confident than his friends, and he seemed more outgoing.

Lela realized there was a cake in the middle of the small group just as Calem caught up to them, out of breath.

"Shauna… please stop… doing that."

"I was just so excited to bring Lil'L to her to her birthday celebration! She's fifteen now!"

"Shauna's right Calem! She's getting her first Pokemon today too!"

...Come again.

"What?"

The bigger boy turned to her when she spoke for the first time and gave her a ginormous smile. "All right! Nice to meetcha! I see Shauna has already decided on your nickname."

"Yeah, she started calling me that on the way over here."

"Enough talk! Time for the birthday song!" Shauna was standing at the head of the table, very impatient to start celebrating her new found friends birthday. She had her cheeks puffed up, a very annoyed expression on her face, and she was bouncing up and down in her spot. "Lil'L needs to blow out her candles and then we can give her one of the Pokemon!"

… Once again, come again.

"Give me a Pokemon?"

"Yup. The Pokemon professor here in Kalos, Professor Sycamore, has decided to give each of us a Pokemon. He wants us to help him with his research."

It took Lela a moment to process what the teens around her were saying before she drooped a bit. "Guys, I can't get a Pokemon. My mother won't let me."

"You don't need her permission here in Kalos."

That was the first time the little orange haired boy, Trevor, had spoken since Lela had arrived with the energetic girl. He was gazing up at her with a shy smile. Everyone around her smiled as the girl looked at the young intellect with a confused face.

"The laws here in Kalos are slightly different from the laws in Johto. You only need to be fifteen to become a trainer without your parents consent."

"And you turn fifteen today." Turning to Calem, who took a seat to her right. "When Professor Sycamore heard about you from your friends parents, and the professor in Johto, he decided that you would be the final member of the group."

"...For real?"

"From what the Professor heard about you he thinks you would be a wonderful trainer. Shauna's and my parents are distracting your mom for the day. Once we're clear and on our journey they'll tell her where you went. But she won't be able to stop you."

Lela sat there, stunned for a moment. "...This was the surprise Diane was talking about last night."

"Yup. She found out the differences in the laws and had all this set up."

This is the point that things turned into a blur for Lela. The kids around her pulled her into a small celebration for her own birthday before Trevor presented her with a Pokedex and a trainer ID the Professor had made for her.

"Since Lil'L is the birthday girl, she should get first pick of the Pokemon Tierno brought!" Shauna smiled brightly at the blond sitting in front of her as Tierno pressed a button on the cylindrical case he was carrying. The glass lid opened up, revealing three Pokeballs, each had a sticker for the type of Pokemon it had inside of it.

Receiving a nod from Calem, Lela faced the case in front of her, thinking about which one she should choose.

It didn't take her long to decide. Reaching out and taking the sphere, she pressed the button and released the Pokemon inside.

"FEN!"

 **Well… Not sure how this will be received. Please review so I can see if this story is worth continuing. -WaterLilith**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lela stared down at the Fennekin in front of her, vaguely aware of Calem letting Shauna choose the next Pokemon while she squealed in uncertainty, trying to figure out if she wanted the grass type or the water type. The little orange and white fox stared right back at the blonde girl, waiting for his new trainer to say something to him in regards to what they were going to do.

"Are you going to bond with him, Lil'L?"

Both the trainer and the fox Pokemon shifted their attention to Tierno, the fire type scratching at the fur poking out of his left ear along the way, and took in the curious gaze the large boy was giving his new friend.

Shifting her eyes between Tierno and Fennekin several times, Lela finally stopped and spoke to the boy. "I don't know what to do. I don't exactly have experience dealing with Pokemon. I've only ever interacted with my mothers Rhyhorn, and even that was limited to a minimum."

"Just say something to him. Treat him like you would treat another person. The only difference is that the way Fennekin will communicate with you will be a little less direct." The boy smiled over at her, getting up from the table and backing up a few steps, he let a small water type Pokemon, a quick consult with her Pokedex revealed it to be a Corphish, and the two started dancing together. "Corphish and I communicate with dancing! My little buddy and I are going to start a great dance crew, and we're all going to talk through our dance moves!"

"He's right." This time it was shy little Trevor that addressed her. "You just need to find what works for you."

… They don't know that Lela can understand Pokemon.

Diane and her parents must have left that tidbit of information out when they were convincing the Professor to let her into his little trainer group.

That was going to be an interesting conversation with Shauna participating, especially considering she had no idea how she understood them herself. One day when she managed to slip away from her mother for a few minutes she ran into a wild Sentret and understood him completely. It was a mystery she and her two friends had never figured out after years of wondering.

Looking back down at the little fox sitting obediently in front of her, the blond girl smiled happily, she never dreamed she would have a partner of her own, and leaned forward slightly. "Hey there Fennekin, my name is Lela."

The quadruped eagerly sprang onto all four feet, yipping with joy as he ran head first into Lelas torso. " _Lela! Lela! You're my trainer!"_

Chuckling slightly at the fire types excitement, Lela secured him in her arms as he nuzzled any part of her he could reach, the tufts of fur sticking out of his ears tickling her even more than he would have otherwise. "Yes I am your trainer. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

" _I want to get to know you better too! You're the reason I get to leave the lab, see the work and make lots of new friends. I might not have gotten that chance if you didn't come along."_ Fennekin smiled up at Lela as he said this, seemingly unphased by the fact that she gave him a response that perfectly matched what he had said to her. " _You're going to be my best friend!"_

"I'm looking forward to being your friend too. I get to leave home thanks to you, so we're both getting freedom through our partnership." Nuzzling her cheek against Fennekin's and glanced over at the four others sitting at the table. Tierno was still dancing right along Corphish, who was blubbering on and on about how much he loved dancing with his beloved trainer, Trevor was watching his friend silently as he showed off, Shauna was cuddling her new Chespin, he 'Li'l Chespin, and Calem was quietly mumbling to his Froakie. The level of noise radiating from the table had dramatically increased over the small period of time she and her starter had been conversing, attracting the attention of anyone sitting at the other patio tables. The group received several strange looks as they made a ruckus, disturbing the peace without even realizing it.

Just then, Lelas holocaster buzzed from where it was attached to her purse strap, hanging of the back of her chair. The sound of her ringtone wa enough to make the blonde girl go stock still, eyes wide as she stared straight ahead.

The only person with her holo caster number was her mother, and her two friends back in Johto, who would be asleep in a Pokémon center or a tent alongside the road given the time difference. That meant the only person calling her right now would be her overbearing, overprotective, controlling mother who shouldn't have the time to call her at the moment since Shauna and Calem's parents should have been occupying her.

The group of kids fell silent as the ringing continued, the others looking at each other as Fennekin sniffed at his trainer's face.

" _Lela?"_

That one word from her little fire fox was enough to snap the pale girl out of her trance as she stood up, the chair would have fallen over if Calem hadn't caught it, and grabbed the pink purse from the back. Throwing the strap over her shoulder, Lela started running as she clicked the button to ignore the call, Fennekin still in her arms as she ran as fast as she could without falling over and sending her skirt flying up. Fennekin was thoroughly enjoying the ride he was going through, shouting something about the 'wind feels great in his fur,' while the people he had left behind frantically tried to keep up with her as she ran.

"Lil'L! Wait up!"

Turning her head slightly as she ran over the bridge that separated Aquacorde from the forest that led to the next town. "I have to get away from here, NOW!"

Then a pair hands was grabbing her shoulders, nearly tipping her over when her feet kept running while her upper body came to a screeching halt. "LELA!"

The blue eyed girl spun around, glaring at the grey eyes in front of her, staring down with a calming look. He had his hands rubbing her shoulder to try and calm her down. The others surrounded her, Tierno and Trevor both breathing heavily from the sudden exercise they were clearly not in shape for.

"She will not find you once we get into Santalune forest she will not be able to find you. It is dense as hell, so you can hide anywhere in there, and if any of us see her once we get to Santalune we'll help you hide from her." Calmes voice was calm, no trace of panic despite the circumstances, and he had this genuine smile on his face that said that everything was going to be ok. "She may try to pursue you, but legally she can't force you to go home and abandon your journey."

"You do not understand! If I don't avoid her completely she will find a way to get me home."

"Then we just find a way to avoid her if she shows up in the same town as us. We want to help you if you let us."

"Yeah! It's going to be great! We'll all be friends!" Shauna suddenly had her arms around Lela, her Chespin joining Fennekin in the blonde's arms, both trainer and Pokemon smiling brightly up at her. "Besides, she isn't good enough to be your mom. Parents should encourage their children to live their lives their way, not control them like your mom has."

Glancing around at the group surrounding her, Trevor and Tierno had finally recovered, and they were all smiling brightly.

These people were more friendly than Diane, which was a difficult achievement to be awarded. 

Walking through the Santalune forest was strangely calming for Lela. Despite the fact that there were a good number of trainers that insisted she battle them, mostly annoying little twats with inflated egos she happily aided in deflating, and a countless number of bug Pokemon and little monkeyish Pokemon jumped out at her and try to take down her Fennekin. She and her partner happily barreled through every battle they were dragged into, Shauna stuck near her at all times to heal the fire fox whenever he needed her to. He brown haired girl, Lela was still trying to figure out the gravity defying nature of the girls pigtails, was chattering along as they wandered freely around the large paths that had been cleared to allow trainers to explore and strengthen the Pokemon on their teams.

"I'm so excited to see the entire region with you and the others! I'm going to catch so many Pokemon to make more friends and I'm going to make so many happy memories!" Shauna kept going on and on as they walked down the path while the boys ran around doing whatever caught their attention, Trevor had disappeared from sight in a patch of tall grass, Tierno had been challenged to a battle by one of the twats, and Calem went around strengthening his Froakie and the other Pokemon he had caught already. He had gifted everyone with Pokeballs, after teaching Shauna how to use them, just in case they came across a Pokemon they wanted to catch. None of them had caught Lelas eye thus far.

The holo caster had continued to ring of its imaginary hook as they entered the forest, starting their walk to the next city, until Lela had just turned the device off. They told her they would find a way to change her ccaster number when they reached Lumios.

Calem had suggested challenging the gym leader Viola when they reached Santalune. He said it was a great way to build up her Fennekin's strength even more and a fun way to bond with her partner. When she had asked Fennekin about it he started running around in circles happily, saying he was ready for the 'Warriors Challenge.' Froakie had rolled his eyes and called Fennekin an 'unrefined warrior,' while Shauna's Chespin said she would cheer on both of her 'Ultimate Warrior Buddies' as they 'honed their skills and tested themselves on the glorious battlefield.

First of all, the Pokemon Calem and Shauna had acted much differently than Lela thought they would considering the experience she had with Diane and Kathleen's grass and water types.

Second… Lela found herself receiving several strange looks from her human companions when she just started to bust up laughing after listening to the Pokemons conversation.

"I can understand Pokemon." She quietly explained as they continued along the path, Shauna being silent for once as she stared wide eyed at her new friend. Her green eyes were sparkling as she listened intently and the boys followed behind them closely, falling in line a short while ago out of curiosity of Lela suddenly breaking into laughter for seemingly no reason. She could feel their eyes as she explained. "I don't know how, I just do."

"So you were laughing at something our Pokemon were saying?"

"You would be laughing too if you could hear what they were saying too." She glanced over at the fire and grass types ran around playing alongside the group of humans, the water type seemingly uninterested as he just padded along next to the two louder Pokemon in silence. "These three are hysterical when they interacting with each other."

"So what does Li'l Chespin think of me?"

"She adores you. I've heard her bragging to the others that she got the best trainer several times. It always sparks an argument, but they forget about it quickly and go back to being friends." By this point the three starters ran back to their trainers, jumping into the arms of whoever had taken them as their own. Fennekin was happily chewing on a twig as he curled his himself into his trainer's arms. "Honestly I don't think we could have had a better match up with our partners."

The others couldn't respond to that statement, however. They were interrupted by a rumbling sound Lela was all too familiar with. The rumble caused by a running Rhyhorn.

"Guys… MOVE INTO THE TREES!"

Fennekin in his arms, Lela pushed Shauna into the treeline where she was swallowed up by the greenery. Dragging the others in behind her she peered our through a space between the leaves of a bush. A the rumbling grew even louder until a grey blur went racing by with the sound of hard stone feet frantically hitting the ground, and then the sound faded into the distance. Emerging slightly from the hiding place they had taken, Lela turned to look at the four people with her.

"Well… She's looking for me already. Getting into the first town on our journey is going to be much harder than it should be now."

* * *

 **The mother is going to be relentless. I'm enjoying envisioning the ideas of the different ways Lelas life could turn out now that she can do whatever she wants with it. There's the obvious stuff but other than that my mind can go anywhere. Within reason of course.**

 **I was going to post a new chapter yesterday… but I get distracted easily and typing doesn't go as fast as it should. I'm going to try and stick to a schedule, and I'm sorry if I don't.**

 **Please review So I know if I'm doing good.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The idea that her mother was somewhere on the path ahead of them was not a fun thought for Lela. She knew that the overbearing woman would be waiting for her right at the gate to the town, leaving no room for her to go anywhere in said town. Once she came across her she would be promptly popped down on Rhyhorn and herded back to their home in Vanville, Fennekin left behind with the others so they could take him back to the professor.

Of course Lela wasn't going to be deterred, and she would find a way around the problem.

Literally. He literally decided to tread through the parts of the forest that didn't have any paths beaten down to find another way into Santalune. She was just lucky that the Pokémon in the Santalune forest didn't get too much stronger as she. Wandered off the path, otherwise she and Fennekin would be royally screwed.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you? We're more than happy to do it to keep you company." Shauna was gazing up at her, her large green eyes shining with concern, meekly trying to convince the girl in front of her to let them come along.

"It would be good for all of us to go with you. I can train my Pokémon even more, Trevor can find more Pokémon to fill his Pokedex with, Shauna gets to bond with you as much as she likes, and Tierno… might find a new dance partner." Calem joined in the conversation, the two other boys standing behind him with their Pokémon, each of them wearing a concerned look.

" _I'm Tiernos dancing partner! Me! ME!"_ Corphish started blubbering on once Calem said that, quickly snapping his claws at the black haired boy.

No one even noticed he was upset about what was said since they were so focused on Lela.

"I'll be fine you guys. I have Fennekin with me, and we can handle whatever comes our way."

" _That's right! Nothing will happen to Miss Lela while I'm around!"_ Just as he said that a Pansage, the little green monkeys had been rather attracted to the blonde girl the entire time they had been in the forest, ran up to Lela. He grabbed the strap of her bag, pulling on it slightly. Catching sight of this Fennekin started spewing ember attacks out of his mouth without hesitation. " _FEAR ME!"_

The little fire fox chased the grass monkey around for about thirty seconds, promptly roasting the creature that dared approach his trainer. The group watched as the fire starter proudly strut around, putting off an air of importance to show that he was Lelas protector. Laughing slightly, Lela glanced back over to her new group of friends. "Thanks, but I've got all the help I'll need right there. You guys should enjoy yourselves, that's the reason people go on Pokémon journeys." Gesturing for her little friend to join her, Lela turned and headed for the tree line that separated them from any paths that rested to the North. "Go on. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys accomplish the next time I see you guys."

With Fennekin jumping into her arms, Lela pushed her way past the bushes in her way, finding herself in a vast stretch of uncontrolled greenery.

* * *

"Well, Fennekin…" Dark orange eyes met light blue, curiously waiting for directions on how he could help. "I never thought this was going to be easy, my mom never did take disobedience well, but I'm glad I get to face this with you."

" _Me too! Let's go!"_ Eagerly facing forward, the starter yipped excitedly as he and Lela marched onward to find a new path to their destination.

Excitement didn't prevent the two friends from getting lost.

Like most forests, the Santalune forest was quite large, filled with many different kinds of Pokémon, many of which put up aggressive resistance in opposition to the duo's presence, and created a maze of trees that was basically impossible to navigate. That was probably the reason that trainers he'd created that beaten path years ago. To guide future trainers between the two towns so they didn't disappear into the forest for days before they found their way back to a town.

Lela was ok with her situation though. In her fifteen years under her mother's thumb she never had the chance to explore. She didn't get to go with the other kids on field trips to places like Bellsprout Tower, or the towers in Ecruteak city. She was expected to go to school every day, come straight home to study, and to take care of her appearance because, according to her mother, the good looking people will be the most successful.

A philosophy she and her friends did not agree with.

So the chance to wander through an area she probably shouldn't be in and get lost like normal children do was a wonderful new experience for the blond. She was thoroughly enjoying the situation she had placed herself in when let people would be furious and cursing at the sky. The idea that she might be camping out in the wilderness was even more invigorating for her.

Fennekin was enjoying himself because he got to establish himself as Lelas protector to any Pokémon that came near them. He was gaining plenty of experience battling the wild Pokémon, the farther they traveled the more challenging the opponents became, the stronger Fennekin became once he triumphed. To him the stronger he was, the better he could defend his trainer, which was all that mattered to him at that point in time.

He also had access to an abundant amount of sticks to eat. That was a perk to spending more time in the forest with his trainer.

"So, what was it like living in the lab with Professor Sycamore and the other Pokémon?" Nibbling on one of the snacks she always kept in her bag, little chocolate bars or protein bars for if she wanted junk food or health food respectively, she glanced down at her partner. Fennekin had a twig in his mouth and he was happily chewing away at it as he trotted along side his trainer.

" _Professor Sycamore has always been really nice to all of us. He treats us great. If a kid came in looking to get a Pokémon and they were a really mean person he wouldn't give them any of us." Finishing off his twig, he jumped up so he was in the pale girls free arm, making sure he wasn't in the way so she could continue eating. "Chespin has always been nice too. She loves playing with me, unlike Froakie, and she has a great personality. I think she'll always be happy with Miss Shauna. Froakie is kind of standoffish, so we didn't talk much. He wants to be stronger than anyone else so he got the right trainer too."_

"Do you think you got the right trainer?"

" _Without a doubt Miss Lela! I don't think I would have been able to put up with Miss Shauna's personality or relentless pursuit for 're the best out of the three. Besides, you can actually understand me! The other two can't say that they got a trainer that knows exactly what they're trying to say!"_ Nuzzling Lela with the tip of his black nose, he gave her cheek a quick lick before turning back to face the front.

"Well, I'm glad you like me so much, Fennekin."

"I'm glad he likes you too, Lil'L!"

That voice belonged to someone that shouldn't be in the same place as the blond girl and the fire fox. It belonged to someone they had left behind at the heated path so she could take the most direct route to Santalune and spend the night in a Pokémon center, where she would be far more comfortable than she would camping on the ground, which would be what was most likely going to happen. Shauna came bounding out of a tree line, her Chespin standing on her head among the gravity defying pigtails. The boys were nowhere to be seen, and since Trevor had told her that they were always keeping an eye on Shauna so she didn't get in trouble, it stood to reason that the brunette had given them the slip and ran off to catch up with her female friend.

They were probably freaking out right now. Lela knew she would be if Shauna just disappeared to Arceus knows where and most likely stumbled into some kind of situation.

Three of her friends were going to die from heart attack and she hadn't even known them for twenty four hours. That was going to be the shortest friendship in the history of ever.

"Shauna?"

"Yes my new friend?"

"When you decided to come after me did you consider the idea that the boys might freak out at your absence?"

The brunette tilted her head to the left a bit, forcing her Chespin to grab her hair to maintain her balance on her little perch. Green eyes faced the sky as she stood there thinking about the question she had been presented with. Plucking Chespin off of her head she shared a look with the grass Pokemon, who shrugged her shoulders.

Then she smiled, giggling a little, and responded with a, "Nope!"

Why does this girl do things like this.

"Shauna, the boys must be losing their minds right about now! You need to let people know what you're up too before you run off to do something. Those three worry about you alot!"

"I know! I wanted to show them that I can handle things by myself!" The girl grinned at her with a silly look. Chespin was mimicking her trainers smile without shame, like she was proud of her trainer for most likely giving the boys panic attacks. "They think I can't do anything without help. So, I decided to show them that I would be fine going through the forest until I found you. And I did! I didn't run into any problems coming to find you!"

"..."

" _..."_

Lela and Fennekin were both completely silent as they stood there, giving the other trainer and Pokemon skeptical looks.

" _You know, I take back what I said before. I think Chespin's personality has become much worse since she met Miss Shauna. I don't even know how that's possible since they've known each other for less than a day."_ Fennekin turned his head away from the two in front of him, scratching the ground slightly before he started walking around to check for threats.

He was taking the whole guard thing far too seriously in Lelas opinion. Even Feraligatr's protectiveness over Kathleen paled in comparison to Fennekin's protectiveness over the blonde.

" _Just because I act like my trainer doesn't mean you get to act superior to me."_

" _I'm not acting superior. I'm just voicing my opinion, which is very true."_

" _What about you? You were never a guard type Pokemon when we were living in the lab."_

The conversation, Lela wouldn't call it an argument because it sounded like the two friends were just poking fun at each other, continued on like that as the blue eyed girl watched. They both seemed like they were having fun with each other, like she and Diane when they were in school arguing about which Pokemon types were the best. It was never anything more than playful banter, despite what others thought, and it always served as filler between the actual meaningful conversations they had. Kathleen would just sit off to the side as they had those ridiculous conversation, they didn't care what type a Pokemon was, and took care of whatever task she was handling at that time. She would often sneak one of the Pokemon away from her parents breeding farm, allowing them to experience being in an open area rather than a fenced off area. Back then her mother had her completely brainwashed, she hadn't hit her rebellious streak so she would talk about Pokemon while maintaining a certain distance from them. It was probably the best chance she had to interact with Pokemon growing up and she blew it.

"What are they saying, Lil' L?"

Shauna was watching her Pokemon shout across the clearing from her arms, interacting in an extremely comical fashion with Fennekin. The amused look on her face told Lela that she was just happy that the Pokemon were enjoying themselves. She was just truly curious, and maybe slightly jealous of Lela, of what they were talking about.

"They're poking fun at each others personalities. Fennekin is saying Chespin took on your personality traits while she's saying he took on a more serious and protective personality since he met me."

"He scorched a Pansage for approaching you when it obviously wasn't a threat."

"True. I'm hoping this helicopter Pokemon thing is a phase brought on by finally becoming a trainers Pokemon."

" _I will never give up my position protecting Miss Lela!"_

… That could be problematic in the future.

"Well! We should get going! We need to find a path that will take us to Santalune."

The brunette grabbed the blonde's hand to drag her forward, Chespin leaping out of her arms to lead the charge alongside Fennekin. Both of the little starters eagerly cleared the path in front of them for their trainers., at least Chespin tried It was mostly Fennekin who was more of the battle type. Both enjoyed themselves immensely, as the two human girls followed along behind them, Shauna babbling happily once again as Lela listened patiently. Being dragged behind the energetic girl was a little uncomfortable, her arm was being held at an awkward position, but she was willing to put up with it to humor the girl.

* * *

That night she and Shauna were asleep under a strange looking tree. It had been dark for hours before she finally forced the green eyed girl to stop and set up camp under the pure white tree, that looked like it was most likely dead. It was strangely shaped, all of the branches curved to one side, and a large X carved into it. But for some reason Lela just felt safe around it.

Both of the girls were in sleeping bags, Shauna had produced two from Lela didn't even want to guess where, the Pokemon cuddled into the bags with their respective trainers. Shauna had leaned against Lela as she drifted off, her head on her friend's shoulder as they rested their backs against the tree. Despite all the excitement she had gone through during the day, it was the most excitement she ever had on one of her birthdays, she didn't feel any exhaustion. She still felt slightly hyped up and couldn't sleep at all.

A problem she had never experienced before with no solution. If she tried to put off going to sleep then her mother would do something to force her to do it.

Another controlling feature her mother had that she wasn't going to miss.

Lela was rubbing the top of Shauna's head as she slept, Kathleen had done that for her and Diane a few times before, as she gazed around to watch for anything that would require waking Fennekin. As she continued the gesture, she couldn't help it since the girls personality just made Lela want to hug her, a strange buzzing sensation fell over her body like a blanket. Strange lights came out of nowhere, soft, colored lights that felt warm and offered strange comforting feelings to Lela. Staring up in curiosity, the blonde was so focused on the lights that she received a shock when she realized that large amounts of Pokemon had found their way into the clearing and simply stared at her. She could recognize several of them from pictures Diane had shown her, she wanted to be a photographer on day, such as the female Ralts evolution chain, Granbull, Clefable, and Azumarill.

They were just standing there watching her and her friend sit against the strange tree.

Well, might as well take advantage of this and scan all the unique Pokemon with had Pokedex.

Several of them seemed to smile at her, as if they were thinking they were posing for an actual picture as she was scanning them for information on them. Some of them sat down in their spots as this went on while others went to the very edge of the clearing as if they were standing guard. The only Pokemon that approached her was the Gardevoir holding something in her arms. She knelt down next to the (extremely) confused blue eyed girl before presenting her with a small Togepi.

Locking her gaze with the tall physic type in front of her, blue eyes wide, she allowed her to place the small egg Pokemon in her arms.

" _This little one's parents disappeared some time ago and she needs a home. Can you find a place for her to live safely?"_

...Hmmm.

Diane had ranted to her for a solid forty five minutes when the egg Kathleen had been caring for hatched. Something about how it was unfair that Kathleen get such a rare Pokemon like Togepi when she had no hope of finding one in Johto to catch.

Nodding slightly to the Gardevoir, she received a small smile as she stood back up, allowing her to rummage through the red bag next to her to find a Pokeball for the little baby Pokemon.

" _Sleep now young lady. We will lead you to the northern path in the morning."_

That was all Lela heard before on of the grass type looking Pokemon floated up to her, sprinkling a little bit of green dust on her face. Eyes drooping at the sudden sleepiness she was feeling, the pale girl could only process one thought as her head fell down to rest on Shauna's head, something she had seen on the Pokedex information pages catching up to her.

Fairy type Pokemon?

* * *

 **So… when I said that I get distracted easily and things I'm doing take much longer than they really should?**

… **I meant that in a very literal sense. This chapter should not have taken this long.**

 **I'm just hoping that I'm doing ok.**

 **Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Come morning, Lela found out that Shauna was a very deep sleeper, and she did not wake up early at all. It surprised her a great deal considering how energetic the brunette was during the day she had known her. Nevertheless, she handled the situation appropriately. She shouldered Shauna's bag, rolling up everything they had used during the night to keep warm, and packing it snugly around all the other supplies in both of the bags she was carrying. A large, male Granbull, picked the sleeping teen up off the ground, cradling the girl like a parent would cradle a child, while her Chespin snoozed away on her chest.

Fennekin was up and around with the sun, yipping away immediately when he saw the Pokemon that had surrounded them. He kept spitting out phrases like, " _I will defend my trainer!"_ All the Fairy(?) types tried to sooth the fire Pokemons nerves, telling him that they weren't a threat to Lela. He persisted for quite a bit, even as Lela joined the effort to calm him down. In the end one of the Gardevoirs put him to sleep so they could travel all the way through the forest with the Granbulls without incident.

Right as she was about to pick her own bag up and throw it over her shoulder, something hard hit the top of her head and passed her vision as it fell to the ground. Stunned, she blinked for a few seconds before looking down. Crouching, she found the small, perfectly spherical, stone in the grass. It had perfectly layered colors, forming a rainbow, and what looked to be a helix inside of it. She had never seen anything like it before, certainly not in nature. It had to be something human made, but there was no explanation for how it had ended up out by the strange tree. Picking up the cool orb, feeling a strange contentedness wash over her as she held it, she opened up a mini pocket on her purse and secured it in there.

Picking up Fennekin, nuzzling her cheek against the top of his head, she held him closely against her chest. She was going to have to talk with him about overreacting to everything so he would go all Rambo whenever a human or Pokemon approached her. Scratching the fluff coming out of his ears, and placing the Pokeball with the Togepi in a small hidden pocket in her dress skirt, she walked over to the Granbulls. Checking on her sleeping friend in the Pokemons arms, she allowed them to stand on either side of her to protect her, and slowly started with them to the northern side of the forest. She made idle chatter with the Granbulls, learning quite a bit about the colony that she had just left with them, and she told them about her new and old friends she had helping her. The asked about Diana, curious about the friend she was going to trust the baby Togepi with. She assured them that the black haired girl was very kind and caring, and the baby would be more than safe with her.

They had quite the distance to travel, and it was all filled with meaningless chatter the entire time.

* * *

Eventually they made their way out of the dense forests. They had to climb some steep hills and up a few ledges, the second Granbull insisted on lifting her on his shoulder for that part, but they eventually made it to a well beaten path.

The Granbull set Shauna down, laying her down on a soft grass area near the path they had come to. Route 22 had several well off trainers, who each gave her a strange look as she stood next to the Granbull. None of them seemed brave enough to try and battle and catch the large bull dog Pokemon. They cast a wide gaze across the open area, as if they were making sure that there wasn't anything the two girls couldn't handle. Then they turned, the male that had carried Shauna reassuringly tapped the top of her head with his forehead, and they disappeared back into the dense forest behind them.

By this time, Shauna was very drowsily trying to lift her eyelids, bright green peering up at the blond as she stood there. Lela started rubbing Fennekin's face to wake him up from the psychic induced sleep.

" _...my trainer… Lela… friend…"_

Suddenly, the small group was bombarded from above.

Shauna, Chespin, and Fennekin all woke up screaming when they were hit with a giant blast of wind, heads turning rapidly to find their assailant. Fennekin jumped down from his trainer's arms, jumping in three hundred sixty degree circles to figure out where to shoot his ember attack.

He faltered slightly when a beak firmly grasped the end of Lelas ponytail.

"Oh my gosh! Lela!" Shauna was there in an instant, waving her arms at whatever bird Pokemon was tugging at her hair. Fennekin was running around trying to find an angle he could burn his opponent without hurting his trainer.

"Shauna! Hold Chespin up so he can cut my hair with his quills!"

"You sure?!"

"I've been wanting to do it for awhile! Just do it!" The blonde reached back to grab the mass of hair, closing her eyes tightly as she felt the other girl moving around. "Fennekin, once I'm clear light em up."

" _With pleasure!"_

Suddenly Lela was falling forward. She felt the heat of her partner's attack behind her Turning midair, she plunged her hand into her red bag, pulling out a Pokeball. Locking her eyes on the bird that had attacked her, a very undersized Pidgey, she underhanded the Pokeball at it, hitting it and drawing it in with a read beam. She landed on the ground and watched as the small sphere rolled around in the grass a few times before a click signalled that it was locked shut.

Everything was silent after that. Shauna was holding Chespin to her torso, turning her gaze between Lela and the Pokeball that now had hair laying around it. Fennekin had dove into Lelas arms once he was sure the Pidgey wouldn't be a problem again. The blond was just glaring at the Pokeball that sat there mockingly.

"I've decided I don't like flying Pokemon."

"Then you definitely won't want that Pidgey."

Every head turned at the voice that rang out over the open area. A man was standing in the middle of the path, his clean suit shining in the sunlight. He smiled at the two girls, leaning slightly on a cane as Lela stood up next to Shauna. The man approached the girls, taking off the expensive sunglasses he had been wearing. "I have an option for you."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Call me . I created Wonder Trade."

Turning her head over to Shauna, the blond whispered, "Is that some kind of Kalos thing I'm suppose to know about?"

"I've never heard of it either."

"That's not surprising, it was only recently introduced in the Kalos system. I want to introduce it to the other regions soon as well." The man moved closer to the girls, taking a small laptop and a little pod. He knelt down, setting the laptop up on the ground, connecting the pod to it with a short chord. He started typing on the keyboard before sticking his hand out. "Let me see the Pidgeys Pokeball."

Giving Shauna a skeptical look, she picked up the recently occupied capsule and set it in the old man's hand. He set it in the little pod and closed the door. "This is a crude set up, but it's just for the demonstration. You just need internet to connect with the system, and you can go through the process." He punched in a few more words and the ball disappeared in the pod. "Now we wait and see what you get in return."

"So it's just trading?"

"Yes, but it will be a surprise every time you participate. You never know what the person on the other end will give you. That's why it's wonder trading."

The pod started glowing and another Pokeball appearing. The man took the ball out and handed it to Lela, whose brows furrowed as she took it and tossed it up to release her new Pokemon.

Sitting there was a small, blue fish Pokemon with orange fins on its cheeks.

" _Mud!"_

… A Mudkip. The water starter from Hoenn. Someone traded an extremely rare Pokemon for a Pidgey.

A very ill tempered Pidgey.

" _What? Where's my trainer?"_ The little water Pokemon twisted around, a concerned look on his face as he tried to locate his previous trainer. He looked up at Lela, who had caught his Pokeball after Mudkip was released from it ." _Did you take me from him?"_

Lela's heart broke at that.

Kneeling down next to the fish Pokeman, Lela rubbed one of his orange fins with her right hand, trying to comfort him. "You're trainer trusted me to take care of you Mudkíp. Don't worry, I'll make sure you have a good life."

When she thought about it, that situation was never going to end well from the start. She was going to end up with a depressed Mudkip no matter how she handled the problem in front of her. His face turned from concerned to sad, he laid down in the grass, and curled up into a little ball at her feet. He closed his eyes and wouldn't look at anyone.

Picking the little guy up off the ground, Lela held him to her torso, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. His orange fin pressed against her cheek, the squishy appendage cool and smooth against her skin.

"So, what do you think?" The man had already packed up his set up, and he was standing there smiling at the two girls. Shauna was watching Mudkip, holding Chespin to her chest with a heartbreaking expression on her face.

"Sir, I don't think I'm ever going to trade. I don't think I could handle making a Pokemon as sad as Mudkip looks."

"I'm not going to trade again either."

"Oh please, girls. It will get over having a new owner. You just need to get it to respect you."

That was the wrong thing to say to Lela. "Trainers do not own Pokemon. They're our friends. And they are not 'IT.' They are he or she. I will not use Wonder Trade again and I will tell anyone who asks me about it not to use it."

She snatched her bag up from the ground, Shauna quickly doing the same, and briskly walked away from the man. Mudkip just pressed his face into her shoulder and Fennekin faithfully ran after her.

" _Is Mudkip going to be okay?"_ Fennekin stared up at his trainer as they walked down the path, heading west to where the town would most likely be. " _I can't imagine what I would do if you ever sent me away."_

"That would never happen Fennekin. All we can do is be here for Mudkip and make him feel welcome."

" _As long as he understands that I'm your main partner."_

Lela gave Fennekin a look as they continued walking, feeling Shauna hover over her shoulder to check on the water Pokemon resting in her arms. "Why would someone do this to a Pokemon Li'l L?"

"... I'm not sure, Shauna."

* * *

It took quite a bit of time to explain to Shauna how they ended up by the path. She kept asking Lela if she was sure about what she saw, an entire colony labeled as fairy type when she had never heard of fairy type Pokemon before. She even asked when her friend was taking on other trainers they met with Fennekin.

After awhile, they came to the east entrance of Santalune City, passing the gym, where a roller skater was standing guard at the entrance, and quickly made their way into a back alley. "Why did we go off the street Li'l L?"

"We don't know if my mother is still in town. If she is we want to minimize the chance that she'll see us."

"Would she really make you give up your Pokemon."

"Oh yeah." The blond peeked around a corner of the alley into a street, checking both directions to make sure the coast is clear. "She has this way of controlling me. For some reason I can't bring myself to disobey her when she's right there in front of me. If you guys hadn't given me a push."

"How do we stop her from noticing you as soon as you come into her line of sight?"

"...I'm in for one hell of a makeover."

* * *

The lecture Shauna was receiving filtered through the door to the Pokemon center room bathroom Lela was sitting in. The two girls had run into the boys while they were hiding in the aisles of a store they found on a main street of the city. Even Trevor had exploded in a way Lela thought was impossible. They went through the store and bought everything the blue eyed girl needed before going to the Pokemon center, getting a large room for the five of them.

"You had us scared to death!"

"Do you never think things through?!"

"Do you realize how badly you could have been hurt?"

The lines just kept coming as Lela brushed through her wet hair. She had just finished washing the dye out of her hair, something she never thought she would get to do, and she was getting ready to cut it even more than it had been by Chespin. Getting the wet locks smoothed down, the former blond picked up the scissors Trevor found for her and started thinning out the massive bush of hair.

It would definitely be easier to take care of now.

The left side of her head was cut very short while the right side covered her ear and went down to her neck. Once she dried it it was fantastically smooth and curled inward stopping just before it touched the junction between her neck and shoulder. The main color was a vibrant red that faded into orange at the and and in the fringe.

On the counter was one of her dresses, the one with a light brown skirt and a white body. Next to it was a pile of safety pins, a pile of small magnets, thigh high grey socks, knee high white lace up boots, with black two and a half inch heels, and her purse. There was a pair of jean shorts and a red sharpie from a pack they had bought at the store. Once her hair was completely dry and perfectly brushed, and she had put the shorts, socks, and boots on, she picked up her dress and started cutting it into strips.

They hadn't found a shirt she had liked in the store so she had decided to improvise. That's what the safety pins were for. Sh wrapped one of the longer brown strips around her torso, going from just below her collarbone to just above the end of her ribcage, held together by the metal pins. She took a strip of white, using the red sharpie to draw what looked like a running Entei with smoke trailing behind him, and she secured it around her body. It went over her right shoulder and under her left armpit, the drawing going across her front. The only thing she needed now was a way to get the pin connecting the two ends in the back.

Time to save Shauna.

"Hey, Shauna! Can you come in here?" There was a small amount of shuffling, the arguing coming to an end, and the door flew open before slamming shut.

"Can you believe them?! Why can't they…"

Turning around to look at Shauna Lela found the brunette staring at her with wide, shining green eyes.

"Yoo-hoo? You ok there Shaunee?"

"...I LOVE IT!" Shauna was suddenly by her side, holding her hands with sparkling eyes. "I would never be able to pull a look like that, but you just look FABULOUS."

"... Great… Thanks… Can you help me out here?" The colorful girl turned around, holding up the the two ends of the strip so they went around the way she wanted, and the safety pin for Shauna.

"Sure!" Once Shauna took the items from her hand, Lela picked up a few more of the strips, turning them into a belt. On the main belt she had several pouches to hold items like potions and the rainbow stone she found in the forest. Then there was a strip that trailed down her left thigh. She manipulated the fabric so it locked the magnets inside. She made six magnetic pockets, giving herself a place to hold her team's Pokeballs.

"I wish I could wear something like this and look nice."

Shauna had gone over and sat on the edge of the bathtub once she was done with the white strip. She just sat there watching her new friend work on her belt.

"I'm sure you could, Shaunee. But you know, I don't think I could make bows look as good as you do."

Shauna smiled as Lela started moving all of the contents of her purse to the pouches on the belt. "You totally could. You could look good in anything!"

"Thanks, Shaunee." They both smiled as they went to the door, Shauna insisting on going out first.

"Everyone!" The boys had been murmuring to each other when Shauna addressed them. They all went silent when she loudly called their attention."Tell Lela what you think of her new look.

At that point, the girl went through the doorway, entering the boys line of sight. She watched as each of their eyes widened and they all stared at each other. Mudkip and Fennekin both bounded up to her, putting their front legs on her shins as they stared up at her.

" _Miss Lela, you look amazing!"_

" _I love it, Miss Lela!"_

She smiled down at the two Pokemon, bending down slightly to rub their heads. "Thanks, you two." Then she looked up at the boys. Trevor was rubbing his eyes before looking at her again, Tierno was opening and closing his mouth, and Calem was fiercely blushing as he pointed at Lela. "Well, boys?"

* * *

 **It has been so long. I am sorry.**

 **I actually did get a Mudkip for a Pidgey in a wonder trade at one time.**

 **Please review.**

 **-WaterLilith**


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